Need info -- Obfw (later Lt.) Franz Steigleder

[Andre Stewart]

Hello all,

I'm looking for info on Obfw Franz Steigleder. This is all I know thus far:
- served in 3./ZG26 from the outbreak of war until 1941
- transferred to Erg St./NJG1 some time in 1941
- received promotion to Leutnant by 1942
- was WIA on 30 Aug 1942 in Bf-110 W.Nr4069 while with possibly Stab IV./NJG1 (info from an NVM with illegible handwriting).

What I hope to find out:
- confirmation of the unit he was with during the 30 Aug 42 crash (perhaps from another source, the GQM list?)
- any other unit(s) he may have served with
- his wartime fate and/or if he is still alive
- his date and place of birth

Thanks in advance for all your help.

rgds
andre

[RT]

Erg.Gr.NJG1 , interested to see the doc.

Remi

[Dean M. Wick]

Hi Andre: Are you familiar with the chapter on pg.54-57 of Van Ishovens "Bf110 at War", written by War Correspondent Fritz Mittler, regarding Steigleder's rescue of a forcelanded bf110 crew? Regards. Dean.

[Larry deZeng]

STEIGLEDER, Franz. 01.03.43 Oblt., appt Staka 9./Nachtjagdschule 1 (to 19.03.43). 20.03.43 Oblt., appt Staka 9./NJG 101 (to 23.12.43). 24.12.43 Oblt., appt Staka 6./NJG 102 (to 27.04.44). 01.01.44 promo to Hptm. 28.04.44 Hptm., appt Staka 1./NJG 102 (to 27.10.44).

No DOB/POB, unfortunately. Your additional information will help fill in our gap for the period before 20.03.43. Thanks for posting it.

HLdeZ/DGS

[Andre Stewart]

Thanks, guys, for your responses

To Larry -- thanks for the very useful info on his later career.

To Dean -- yes, I'm familiar with the story of Steigleder in van Ishovan's book.

To Remi -- no, not Erg.Gr /NJG1, but rather Erg Staffel./NJG1. This unit was formed in Nov '40, and was re-designated 10./NJG1 in Oct '41. Source is Barry Rosch's 'Luftwaffe Codes & Markings'.

Is anyone able to trace Steigleder's DOB? Perhaps in the VDK website -- I tried but the German was too much for me...


rgds
andre

[Larry deZeng]

Andre -

Prien says the following about 10./NJG 1:

Formed August 1940 (possibly at Düsseldorf) with Bf 109Es left over after III./NJG 1 began converting to the Bf 110. As a single-engine night fighter Staffel, it transferred to Holland in October 1940 and merged with 11./NJG 1 to form Jagdstaffel Holland. On 6 October 1940, 10./NJG 1 reported a Bf 110 E-1 belonging to it crashing while attempting to take off from Vlissingen/Holland.
[Source: Prien, Jagdgeschwader 1/11, pages 19-20].

Ten years after Dr. Prien wrote the above in 1993, our own Jaap Woortman supplemented and corrected Prien’s information with the following:

On or about 7 September 1940, personnel from Stab III./NJG 1 and 7./NJG 1 left Eindhoven with their Bf 109Ds for the conversion to Bf 110s. This unit was the former IV.(N)/JG 2 and II./NJG 1 from July 1940. Not everyone was suitable for night-flying in multi-engine aircraft, so the pilots with insufficient training assembled with their Bf 109s at Souburg, close to Flushing/Holland. The name of this assemblage of pilots became 10./NJG 1 because Staffeln 1.-9./NJG 1 already existed. Once training began at Souburg, they flew the first Dämmerung-Nachtjagd trials under the technical guidance of Dr. J.A. Schraeder, the fighters having been outfitted with special equipment. The radar unit provided for this was a Freya set belonging to Luftgau-Nachr.Rgt. 6 at Domburg, which was only a short distance from Souburg. According to the postwar recollections of Dr. Schraeder, these trials were not successful. In December 1940 10./NJG 1 was renamed 1./JG 1.
[Source: Woortman, Jaap – posted on 12 O’Clock High web site, 28 March 2004].

So what happened next? A new Staffel was set up in December 1940 to take the place of the former 10./NJG 1. It was named Geschwader-Ergänzungsstaffel/NJG 1 and was the former Versuchsnachtjagdstaffel after the latter had converted from Bf 109s to Bf 110s. Some 9 months later, when the Ergänzungsgruppe/NJG 1 was set up, the Geschw.Erg.St./NJG 1 was renamed 10./NJG 1 and became part of the new Erg.Gr.

There still seem to be some minor inconsistencies between the Prien and Woortman accounts, but I’ll leave it to them to iron these out.

Larry

[Dean M. Wick]

Andre: Accepting that War reporters often embellished in their reporting for the general public, I'm curious of your opinion on the validity of this story. My assumption would be the attack occurred either June 3rd.40 (Operation Paula), or around June 5th.40, with the opening of the second stage of the Blitz on France. I've been unable to track suitable losses for either of those date's for bf110's forcelanded, or otherwise. Have you been able to track a date on this? Cheers. Dean.

[Stig Jarlevik]

Andre

Unless you know which staffel Steigleder was in when he was wounded, Remi is correct.
The Erg Staffel/NJG 1 was formed new in December 1940. In October 1941 this small unit was substantially expanded and the Erg Gruppe/NJG 1 was formed, mostly from IV.(Erg)/ZG 26. This expanded unit was also called IV/NJG 1. Erg.Staffel/NJG 1 then became 1./Erg Gruppe NJG 1, while Stab and 2. + 3. Staffeln were formed from IV.(Erg)/ZG 26. This 1./Erg Gruppe NJG 1 was also known as you correctly say as 10./NJG 1

Larry

10./NJG 1 is indeed a complicated unit. In all there were four different 10./NJG 1 between June 1940 and the final one formed in October 1942. Joop seems to have got most of his facts right although he fails to outline some of the small sundry units formed from the outdated NJG system still prevailing at the time. If you can get your hands on Meyer and Stipdonk's Die Deutsche Luftwaffe, Zerstörer und Nachjagdverbände Teil 1, I think they give the best explanation so far....., but you never know what's going to turn up....

Cheers
Stig

[Andre Stewart]

To Stig -- actually I'm not sure which unit Steigleder was with when wounded on 30 Aug 42, which is why I requested for info from other loss sources, like the GQM report. All I have are 2 sources:

(1) An entry in M.Balss Nachtjagd loss book, which gives the unit as Stab IV./NJG1, but the name is given as Lt Frank Stetzleder (sic.). I was able to confirm this is Steigleder partly from the name of his BF.
(2) A batch of barely readable NVM docs from the Erg. Staffel NJG1 where this 30 Aug loss is noted. In front of Steigleder's name the word "Stab" can be made out, but the rest is illegible. Unfortunately I do not have a copy / scan of the NVM report, it's thru another researcher.

To Dean -- I've not been able to trace a specific date for Steigleder's rescue incident, but as to my personal opinion, I don't see any reason to doubt its credibility. This type of incident became fairly commonplace especially in Russia, where captivity was avoided wherever possible.

rgds
andre